Thanks for visiting my fundraising page. I am raising money for the Alzheimer’s Society, riding a 100 mile (160km) sportive and would love your support.

People who know me will be aware that I have been cycling a lot lately, and am comfortable going out on long rides. Nevertheless, riding Velo Birmingham will be a special challenge for me.

My mother suffered from young-onset Dementia, a combination of vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, the two most common types of dementia. I have been lucky my mother has been able to travel to London to attend my wedding in 2014, although her illness was already very severe at the time. Shortly after she was admitted to a nursing home, and passed away the following year.

Velo Birmingham & Midlands 2019 will be held on 12 May, which coincides with Mother’s Day in the Netherlands. This coincidence makes it extra special for me to raise funds to help future research into the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

I will be riding the sportive with my eldest sister and her husband. They will come over from the flatlands of the Netherlands for this challenge.

The Alzheimer’s Society is the only UK charity investing in research into dementia care, cause, cure and prevention, and have committed to spending £150 million on research over the next decade. For more information about the Alzheimer’s Society, have a look at their website following the link at the bottom of this page.
Note: for every £1 spent, 89p is spent on improving the lives for patients with dementia, the other 11p are spent on generating future income.

The biggest risk factors for dementia are age and genetics, but research has shown that being physically active from mid-life also helps reduce the risk of dementia. It seems fitting to raise money for the Alzheimer Society by cycling.

All money raised will benefit the Alzheimer’s Society directly. I will cover the registration fee and any expenses myself.